Reflector studs for roads

ABSTRACT

A road marker (10) comprising a body (12) extruded from a non-resilient material is disclosed and claimed. The marker body comprises a sloping wide base (14), a neck (18) and a head (16) and is generally I-shaped in transverse cross section. The cross-sectional area of the neck (18) on line A is less than that of the head (16) and that of base (14) in parallel planes.

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

THIS invention relates to markers for roads or pavements or so-calledcat's eyes.

The road markers known to the applicant suffer from at least one of thefollowing disadvantages. These markers are primarily made by aninjection moulding process of a suitable metal or synthetic resinousmaterial which makes them and their moulds relatively expensive. Due totheir structure and to ensure stable anchorage in the pavement or roadsurface, their reflector elements are located too close to the roadsurface, so that soiling of these elements occur. Furthermore, due totheir structure, rocking of the marker occurs upon impact with a vehiclewheel, which causes the marker to become loose in the road structure.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,348 to Roberts there is disclosed a road markerwith a complex shape including skirts to protect the reflector elements.The marker body is formed of aluminium as a die casting. This markersuffers from the disadvantage that due to its process of manufacture, itis relatively expensive and time-consuming to produce. Furthermore, thereflector elements are located too close to the road surface and soilingof the rather obscured reflectors can easily take place. Stillfurthermore, the skirts, in use, entrap dirt which is not readilyremoved by rain and/or traffic action.

In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,521,129 and 4,534,763 to Minnesota Mining andManufacturing Company there are disclosed road markers produced by anextrusion process from a resiliently flexible material. The reflector ofthe marker comprises a reflective film adhered to a surface of themarker body which, in use, faces oncoming traffic. It is believed thatas a result of the deformation of the marker every time it is struck bya wheel of a vehicle, the marker body and/or film will be damaged. Themarker is also highly susceptible to damage by vandals. Furthermore, themarker is clearly not suitable for use on roads carrying traffic inopposite directions.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a roadmarker, a body for such a marker and a method of producing same withwhich the applicant believes the aforementioned disadvantages will atleast be alleviated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a road marker comprising abody extruded from a rigid material and reflector means mounted on thebody, the body comprising a base and interconnection means connectingthe base to at least one overhang above the base, the reflector meansbeing mounted between the overhang and the base, in use, to be exposedat an obtuse angle to approaching traffic.

In a first embodiment of the invention the marker may comprise a headformation and the interconnection means may comprise a neck formationextending away from the base to the head formation on another side ofthe base as a bottom surface of the base, at least part of the neckformation having a cross-sectional area in a plane parallel to saidbottom surface less than a cross-sectional area of the head formation ina region thereof adjacent to the neck formation in a plane parallel tosaid bottom surface and also less than the cross-sectional area of saidbottom surface, so that the body is substantially uniformly I-shaped incross section and so that the head formation provides said at least oneoverhang above said base.

The base may be rectangular and the neck formation may be elongated andmay extend intermediate two opposed sides of the base from one endregion of the base to an opposite end region of the base.

Sides of the neck formation facing said opposed sides of the base mayslant from a relatively wider region of the neck formation towards oneanother in a direction towards the head formation to a relativelynarrower region of the neck formation and a cross-sectional area of theneck formation in said wider region thereof is preferably less than 30%of that of the bottom surface of the base.

Opposed ends of the elongate neck formation may slant towards oneanother in a direction towards the head formation.

In a preferred form of the first embodiment of the invention any crosssectional area of head formation parallel to the bottom surface of thebase is less than 25% of that of the bottom surface of the base.

A top surface of the base may provide a rising ramp from each of saidopposed sides of the base in a direction towards the neck formation.

Opposed slots may be defined immediately adjacent the neck formation inthe base and in said at least one overhang respectively, for locatingsaid reflector means.

The reflector means may comprise a disc received in said opposed slotsand which disc carries a plurality of reflective elements.

A plurality of slots may be provided in the bottom surface of the baseto extend parallel to said opposed sides of the base, at least some ofthe slots having a dovetail shape in transverse cross-section with anarrower region of the slot located in a plane of the bottom surface ofthe base.

Anchor means may be provided in the bottom surface of the base to extendin a direction opposite the neck formation.

According to a second embodiment of the invention the road marker maycomprise a convexo-concave base and the interconnection means maycomprise integral rising formations extending beyond said concavesurface of the base at opposed end regions of the base and said at leastone overhang may comprise first and second overhangs extending towardsone another from said opposed rising formations respectively.

According to another aspect of the invention a body for a road marker isextruded from a rigid material, the body comprising a base andinterconnection means connecting the base to at least one overhang abovethe base, the body defining opposed slots in the base and in said atleast one overhang, for slidingly receiving reflector means.

According to yet another aspect of the invention a method of producing aroad marker comprises the steps of extruding a non-resilient materialinto a marker body comprising a base and at least one overhanginterconnected by interconnection means, so that said at least oneoverhang overhangs the base; and subsequently mounting reflector meanson the body in opposed slots defined in the base and said at least oneoverhang.

The reflector means may be secured to the body by mechanically arrestingit on the body. For example, the reflector means may be so arrested bylocal deformation of said at least one overhang beyond at least one endof said reflector means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAGRAMS

The invention will now further be described, by way of example only,with reference to the accompanying diagrams wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a road markeraccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the marker in FIG 1, shown from a bottomthereof;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a marker according to theinvention, severed from an extrusion from which its body is formed;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic end view of a second embodiment of the roadmarker according to the invention; and

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In FIGS. 1 to 3, a first embodiment of a cat's eye or road markeraccording to the invention is generally designated by the referencenumeral 10.

The marker 10 comprises a body 12 having a rectangular base 14 and anelongate head 16 interconnected by an elongate neck 18. The base 14,neck 18 and head 16 are integrally formed in a metal or rigid plasticsextrusion 20 (shown in FIG. 3) and the marker body 12 is formed bysevering it from the extrusion 20. The metal is preferably aluminium andthe rigid plastic is preferably polycarbonate.

The neck 18 extends between two opposed ends 14.1 of the base 14 and islocated halfway between two opposed sides 14.2 thereof.

The neck comprises two opposed elongate outer surfaces 18.1 and 18.2sloping towards one another from a relatively wider region of the neckadjacent base 14 to a relatively narrower region adjacent head 16. TheTwo opposed ends 18.3 and 18.4 of the neck 18 also slope inwardlytowards one another.

The transverse cross-sectional area of the neck 18 on line A is lessthan that of bottom surface 14.3 of base 14 and less than that of thehead 16 in a region thereof adjacent neck 18 in a plane parallel to thatof bottom surface 14.3, Accordingly, the body 12 has a uniform generallyI-shape when sectioned and viewed on line B and lines parallel thereto.

The base 14 defines a plurality of parallel dovetail shaped slots 22 ina bottom surface 14.3 thereof. The narrower ends of slots 22 lie in theplane of bottom surface 14.3.

In a top region thereof, the base 14 provides ramps 14.4 extending awayfrom the bottom surface 14.3 in a direction from the sides 14.2 of thebase towards the neck 18. The minimum distance of the ramps 14.4 fromthe bottom surface 14.3 Is typically 4 mm and they form angles of in theorder of 51° with the bottom surface 14.3.

In the top surface of base 14 and the lower surfaces of the overhangs16.1 of head 16, adjacent each of surfaces 18.1 and 18.2, there aredefined mutually facing elongate slots 24.1 and 24.2.

Carriers 26 for reflective elements 28 are removably and slidinglyreceivable in the open ended opposed slots to abut against surfaces 18.1and 18.2 and to extend between the overhangs 16.1 and the base 14. Thecarriers 26 are mechanically arrested on the body by bending theoverhanging regions 16.1 of the head outside the carriers 26 towardsbase 14.

The markers are secured to a road surface (not shown) by a suitableadhesive which, when cured, forms a key in each of slots 22.

As best shown in FIG. 2, in the bottom surface 14.3 of base 14, thereare also defined threaded holes 30. In use, bolts 32 may be threadedinto the holes 30 to serve as additional anchors for the markers 10 inthe road or pavement structure.

As shown in FIG. 3, the body 12 is formed by severing a selected lengthL (100 mm, 150 mm, 200 mm or 250 mm or longer) from aluminium extrusion20, thereby providing an integral structure. Thereafter the end regions18.3 and 18.4 of the neck 18 and head 16 are machined away. As shown inFIG. 2, the dimension W of the body along end 14.1 of the base 14, istypically in the order of 100 mm and the dimension of the aforementionedwider region N of neck 18 is typically less than 30% thereof.

The maximum cross sectional area of the head 16 in a plane parallel tothe bottom surface 14.3 of the base is typically in the order of 20% ofthat of the rectangular area wherein bottom surface 14.3 of the base islocated. With a base 14 of 100 mm×100 mm or 150 mm or 200 mm, thedistance between the top surface of the head and the bottom surface ofthe base is in the order of 22 mm, according to the internationalstandards.

It will be appreciated that with the relatively small head 16 (whichcomes into contact with vehicle wheels) compared to the base 14, rockingof the stud upon impact with a vehicle wheel is reduced. Furthermore, asa result of the wide and sloping base 14, the carriers 26 and reflectors28 are further removed from the road surface as is the case with theprior art markers, so that damage and soiling of the reflectors are alsoreduced.

The method of manufacture and the marker 10 according to the inventionand the marker system provide flexibility in that the marker size mayeasily be changed by severing shorter or longer bodies 12 from theextrusion 20. Furthermore, a large variety of known reflector carriersmay easily and conveniently be mounted on the body, thereby to provide acustomer with a wide selection at relatively low cost. Such reflectorcarriers include forty-three element carriers, twenty-three elementcarriers and seven element carriers of which the retro-reflective lensesmay be any one of white, red, amber, green and blue in colour and whichare being sold under the trade name "Swareflex".

In some embodiments, especially when a longer (250 mm) body 12 is used,more than one reflector carrier 26 may be provided adjacent each ofsidewalls 18.1 and 18.2 of the neck 18.

In FIG. 4, there is shown a second embodiment of the marker bodyaccording to the invention designated 112 and which is substantiallysimilar to the body 12 of FIGS. 1 to 3, except that the neck 118connecting head 116 to base 114 is not located halfway between the twoopposed sides 114.2 of base 114, but is located substantially at oneside of the base 114.

It will be appreciated that there are many variations in detail on themarkers, the marker bodies, the method or producing same and the markersystem according to the invention without departing from the scope andspirit of the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A rigid road marker adapted to be mounted to a road surface,the road marker comprising:a base having a bottom surface and an uppersurface; a neck extending from a region of the upper surface of the basetowards a head; the base, the neck and the head being integrally formedby an extrusion process; the neck being of sloping configuration in thatat least one of two opposed side faces thereof slants from a wide lowerregion of the neck immediately adjacent the upper surface of the base toa narrower upper region of the neck immediately adjacent the head; thehead comprising an overhanging surface facing the base and at leastpartially overhanging said at least one of said two opposed side faces;reflector means mounted on the body immediately adjacent said at leastone of said two opposed side faces of the neck, between said overhangingsurface and the upper surface of the base; the cross sectional area ofthe wide lower region of the neck being less than 30% of that of thebottom surface of the base, and the cross sectional area of the headbeing less than 25% of that of the bottom surface of the base, tothereby minimize rocking of the road marker on the road surface.
 2. Aroad marker as claimed in claim 1 wherein the base is rectangular,wherein the neck is elongated and extends intermediate two opposed sidesof the base from one end region of the base to an opposite end region ofthe base and with said opposed side faces of the neck facing said twoopposed sides of the base.
 3. A road marker as claimed in claim 2wherein opposed ends of the elongate neck slant towards one another in adirection towards the head.
 4. A road marker as claimed in claim 2wherein the upper surface of the base provides a rising ramp from eachof said opposed sides of the base in a direction towards the neck.
 5. Aroad marker as claimed in claim 1 wherein slots are provided in thebottom surface of the base, each of said slots having a dovetail shapein transverse cross-section with a narrower region of the slot locatedin a plane of the bottom surface of the base.
 6. A road marker asclaimed in claim 1 wherein opposed slots are defined immediatelyadjacent said at least one of said two opposed side faces of the neck inthe base and in said overhanging surface respectively, for locating thereflector means.
 7. A road marker as claimed in claim 6 wherein thereflector means comprises a rigid disc carrying a plurality ofreflective elements.
 8. A body for a road marker adapted to be mountedto a road surface the body for the road marker comprising:a base havinga bottom surface and an upper surface; a neck extending from a region ofthe upper surface of the base towards a head; the base, the neck and thehead being integrally formed by an extrusion process; the neck being ofsloping configuration in that at least one of two opposed side facesthereof slants from a wide lower region of the neck immediately adjacentthe upper surface of the base to a narrow upper region of the neckimmediately adjacent the head; the head comprising an overhangingsurface facing the base and at least partially overhanging said at leastone of said two opposed side faces; the upper surface of the base andthe overhanging surface of the head providing opposed formations forreceiving reflector means immediately adjacent said at least one of saidtwo opposed side faces of the neck; the cross sectional area of the widelower region of the neck being less than 30% of that of the uppersurface of the base; and the surface area of the head being less than25% of that of the bottom surface of the base, to thereby minimizerocking of the road marker on the road surface.